Kitchen renovation advice.

mandy47

Intergrated appliances are way more expensive and we're finding difficulty to replace due to tiny differences in size and door fittings in different positions depending on brand of appliances. 

MysteryMe

Don't underestimate the difference a good fitter makes. A good one can make a cheaper kitchen look great and a poor one can make expensive kitchen look very average. 

Bigphil1474

Agree with others, somewhere like DIY kitchens and pay someone to fit it. 

I would also agree against integrated appliances - we moved into our house last summer and it has an integrated fridge freezer, washing machine, and dishwasher. The FF and Washer are both too small really, and will cost more to replace than free standing ones. We brought our older free standing washer with us but it's too big to fit in, so we'd either have to lose 2 and a half doors which looks a mess or stick with integrated. Same with FF to a degree. The connectors for the freezer door just won't work despite being replaced.

The sellers didn't have a dish washer but the cupboard was all set up for that. That's not so bad as we got a good sized dishwasher in. At our old house we had all freestanding, and definitely better practically, although aesthetically maybe not so much. 

jonnydeppiwish!

Yet another shout for DIY kitchens - planner online is very good. I went to magnet for a design app, then made the design I liked on DIY kitchens designer app. 

Units are solid, come ready built (except feet and handles (if you have them)). All cabinets are soft close, lots of pan drawers and a couple of kidney bean corner cupboards.

Bought appliances separately from Samsung and Miele outlet, and with fitting it all cost around £8k.
some pics of the last 2 I’ve had fitted below

FreeBear

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Having cookers and drawer units right next to a door could be a recipe for a nasty accident.

When Magnet "designed" my kitchen, the muppet put a dishwasher right next to a door (it fortunately opened outwards). Even so, I could envisage someone running through the door with the DW open, and collecting a big gash in their leg.

silvercar

We have an extractor fan on an outside wall, rather than a cooker hood or vented hob. That way we don't lose draw space or spoil the open plan look by having to have a cooker hood coming down from the ceiling.

ka7e

Another DIY kitchen - pull-out larder, integrated appliances, pan drawers etc. 

casper_gutman

This thread has really turned into a DIY-kitchens promo, hasn't it? 🤣

If we're doing photos, here's ours. Fitted three years ago now and still looking like new.

casper_gutman

Whoops, forgot the photo!

goldfinches

@casper_gutman - I'm looking for a bookcase for my recipe books and yours looks like exactly what I want, can you remember where you got it from please?